The Training before a Fight
by eggamagga
Summary: This is a story of the training before a fight. It is a serious story involving the Saiyans, and deals with the emotions and trails one must face to become stronger.
1. Introduction to the problem

I would like to start with an authors note, probably the only one I'll do, so you might want to read this. This story is not about a big fight; that will come later. This story is about the training that takes place before hand, but that we never get to see in the series. Most of it will take place in the hyperbolic time chamber, and it deals with the emotions, trials, pain, and labors that one must go through to get stronger.

It deals mainly with the Saiyans, and takes place one year after Buu. It won't fit anywhere on the timeline, and some thing will change. Of course I have a favorite Saiyan, but I'm going to keep this as neutral as possible.

I'm writing this because I think that the training is very important, but they leave too much of it out. I've always wanted to see how they train, but I am always disappointed by how little they show.

I break up scenes by writing '12345678910', because ff dot net won't let us do double breaks anymore. Also _Italicized _means thoughts.

If you have any questions, feel free to review and ask. However, I'm going to be bringing up some painful subjects as well, many from 'DBZ short stories 2', and if you'd like to talk about them in a more private setting, feel free to e-mail me at, reality at gwi dot net. (Write like a normal e-mail.) I'll try to help you out as much as possible.

One more thing: This is going to be a very serious story, but I'm going to throw in a few amusing scenes as well, because sometimes I just can't help myself. (See 'DBZ short stories' for more.)

"Life is not a destination, but a journey." This is the journey.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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King Kai stood on the Grand Kai's planet, watching the fighters train to out do each other. Pikkon fired a large blast that incinerated a boulder someone had thrown and the Kai smiled.

_Almost makes me wish Goku were still dead so we could show these guys up some more. _His smile deepened, _but at least he's no longer eating me out of house and home. Those seven years have got to be the longest… _He stopped amusing himself with his own thoughts. _What the hell? _

The Kai moved his antenna around for a second, and then they stuck straight out and began to quiver. _No! Goku killed him over a year ago! How could he be back! He's even stronger then before!_

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Vegeta threw a punch and then blasted off several kicks as a follow up. He swerved around and swung a right hook behind him and then brought up his elbow into his imaginary opponents face. _Not good enough, _The Prince thought, _Let's bring it up to eight hundred times gravity and see how it feels._

He walked over to the control panel where the number _640 _glowed and was about to change it when he noticed he was no longer alone in the Gravity Chamber.

"What do you want, Kakarot?" he said, turning to stare down his rival.

"I just got a message from Dende, and I think we're in trouble." The taller Saiyan said, lowering his fingers from his forehead and stepping away from Piccolo and Gohan, who he had taken with him.

"So?" Vegeta said, "Whatever it is, it's not important enough to interrupt my training." He turned away.

"Buu is back."

Vegeta froze, and then slowly turned back to Goku, "What do you mean? We killed him over a year ago!"

"I know, but he was strong enough to escape from hell. He's still dead, but now he's going across the universe, destroying everything he can." Goku gestured to Piccolo and Gohan, "We're going to train to defeat him, and we would like your help too."

Vegeta knew he would never have agreed to this request in the old days, but something told him to do it. "Alright. Let's go." He walked up to Goku and turned to Piccolo, "What's the matter? Gravity a little much?"

Piccolo was struggling to remain standing, but turned and shot Vegeta a deadly glare. "I don't need any support from you!"

Vegeta grinned and remained that way as Kakarot took them away.

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Dende paced the length of the lookout and stopped to look at the sun. _What's taking them so long? _As if summoned by his thoughts, Vegeta, Goku, Gohan and Piccolo popped on the landing of the lookout.

"Excellent!" The young Namek cried, "You're all here!"

"Hi, Dende!" Gohan called to his childhood friend, "It's good to see you again!"

"Hey Gohan! I'm glad you made it! Things are looking like they could get ugly."

"If you are quite through," Vegeta interrupted, "I'd like to know what's going on. Kakarot was rather vague with me."

"Actually," Goku said, "Dende didn't explain the situation fully to me either. So what's going on?"

"It's a little complex, so I'll start at the beginning. Kid Buu was killed and sent to Hell, but when he arrived there, they didn't know what to do. After all, you can only contain someone if you have something or someone stronger then them. Nothing is stronger then Buu, and Pikkon is now their best fighter. He wasn't able to hold Buu for very long. For about a year Buu has been flying around the universe, absorbing people and adding their strength to his. He now is a hundred times stronger then he was before, and he's growing stronger every day. The only reason I was able to sense him from so far away is because of his preposterous strength. He's not coming towards Earth, but he will, because he probably remembers you two." He nodded to Goku and Vegeta.

"Holy shit," Goku muttered, "Not even the spirit bomb would take him out!"

"No," Dende said, "Even if we collected the energy of a hundred planets, it would still not be enough."

"It's too bad that you can't use the hyperbolic time chamber any more," Gohan said to his father and Vegeta, "That would really help us out."

"Yea," Goku said, "I've already used up my two times, once as a kid and once with Cell."

"Actually Goku," Dende said, "That's why I called you all up here. This last year I made some modifications to the room, and Mr. Popo is finishing up some last minute details right now."

"You mean we can use it again!" Goku yelled.

"Yes. I've been spending some time poking around the lookout this last year, and I saw some improvements that could be made in the Chamber. So I talked with Shenron and made it possible."

"Like what?" Vegeta asked, unable to hold his curiosity.

"Oh, nothing much," The Guardian said slyly, "Just a few things like, oh, you don't age."

"What!" Gohan yelled.

"That, plus I was able to remove the whole time limit thing. You can stay in there for two day's or two thousand, it doesn't matter. The conditions also get worse the further out you go from the entrance, because I know ten times gravity isn't very much. Right, Vegeta?"

The Prince grinned at the comment, "I don't even feel it."

"Pui-pui found that out the hard way. And, I am now proud to say the room has a washer and dryer!"

Dead silence met this remark.

"What! You guys stank so badly when you came out of there! You thought we were making faces because you had powered up, but the truth is we couldn't believe the smell!"

"Uh, that's great Dende." Goku said, "Can we use it?"

"Not yet. Mr. Popo hasn't finished it up yet, but it will be soon. He's inside right now, so it won't be long."

"Good," Vegeta said, "Now there is just one thing to take care of," He turned to Piccolo, "Excess luggage."

"What!" Piccolo yelled and made ready to jump at the Saiyan.

"Whoa! Piccolo!" Goku said, jumping between the two, "Don't do anything rash. Besides, although I was going to be a little more tact then Vegeta, I was going to bring up the same thing."

"What are you talking about!" Piccolo said, "I'm going to train too! You're not the only ones who want to take down Buu!"

"I'm sorry Piccolo," Vegeta said, truly sounding sorry, "But you've fallen too far behind the Saiyans to get mixed up in this. Any time you spend in there will be wasted, and we don't need to be holding back because you're slowing us down."

"Sorry Piccolo," Gohan said, placing a hand on his mentors shoulder, "But this time it's our turn."

"It's always your turn," he muttered, but sounded subdued.

"Besides, I like the idea of having you stay out here," Goku said, "I know from listening to Goten that you can talk to someone while they're in the room. That will be a very valuable thing to have if Majin Buu shows up and starts to blow up the Earth. You can call us out the moment he shows up!"

"Fine." Piccolo muttered, "But I'll be sure to finish him off when you three fail."

"Deal!" Goku turned and saw Mr. Popo walking past with a hammer and some boards, "Looks like Mr. Popo is done! Ready to go in?"

"Wait!" Dende said, "I'm going in too!"

This was met with as much surprise and silence as his announcement about the clothes washer.

"You're kidding right?" Vegeta snarled, "If we're not letting Piccolo in, then we sure aren't letting a weakling like you in either!"

"I know it sound absurd," the guardian said, cutting off the other protests, "But I know that a Saiyan when beaten within an inch of his life heals, he is multiple times stronger then before. If you guys are injured in there, then I can heal you, and you can get right back up and start training again! You won't have any down time!"

"He's got a point," Gohan said.

"I can also help out with things like cooking and stuff!" He hung his head, "I have no delusion's of getting stronger myself, or of learning a new technique that will win the day, but I won't just sit around, knowing I could have really helped!"

"In that case," Vegeta growled, "we might just as well take Piccolo! He can heal."

"Yea," Piccolo said, "But not if I'm too hurt. Plus, I admit I'm not very good at it."

"Well, Dende," Goku said, sticking out his hand, "Welcome aboard!"

"One more thing," Vegeta said, "Can you materialize things?"

"Well," the guardian said, "somewhat. I'm not very good at it."

"Kakarot, before we head in I want to make a quick stop to Heaven."

"Hmm? What for?"

"Because I have only been in Hell and didn't get to see it when I was dead!" The Prince snarled with sarcasm.

"Okay," Goku said, "It's really not that special, it's just like-"

"Just take me there."

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Goku lowered his hand from his forehead as Vegeta stepped away from him, looking around.

"Why are we here, Vegeta?" The tall Saiyan asked, "It's really not that special, and we really should start on the training."

"Kakarot, I want you to take me to King Kai."

"What? How do you know about King Kai? I don't remember telling you about him." Goku asked in surprise.

"I met the Kai while I was dead a year ago," Vegeta explained, "It happened while I was in hell."

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Vegeta was in hell, both figuratively and literally. His body was smeared with his own blood that ran down the wall he was chained to and pooled on the floor his feet hung over. He couldn't even lift his head he hurt so much, the demons of hell were very efficient and skilled in beatings, plus they enjoyed it.

He was alone in his cell, as were all the people as bad as he had been. _And why shouldn't I have been judged bad? _He thought to himself, _I killed hundreds of people, and that was just the last day of my life!_

He tried to find his rage, to raise his energy, but he just felt tired and only wanted to sleep. _But that was one heck of a battle._ _Kakarot, I still hate you, but thanks for fighting me. _He smiled at the thought.

"I'm amazed you can still smile in your position," a voice that sounded like it was traveling through a mouth full of almonds said.

Vegeta lost his smile and raised his head to scowl at the being who had appeared in his cell. He was short and had blue skin, plus a pair of black antennas. "Who the hell are you?" Vegeta asked, more out of curiosity then of any real desire to find out who he was.

"So this is the Saiyan who almost defeated my top student," the man said, ignoring the comment.

"Top student?" Vegeta asked, "You don't mean Kakarot?"

"That's right, you refer to him by that Saiyan name," The man said, smiling, "I am King Kai, and I must admit it excites me to see you. You are defiantly as good a fighter as they say you are."

Vegeta smiled, "It also excites me to meet the man that trained Kakarot. You must be as good a trainer as I am a fighter."

"That's true," King Kai said, "It's saddening to see the once Prince of a mighty race reduced to this."

Vegeta snarled, and was completely surprised when the Kai backhanded him across the face.

"Don't give me that!" The Kai said, "When are you going to wake up! The past is dead, and so are you! The Saiyan race is now extinct, only the half-breeds on Earth remain. If you are still going on about being a Prince, then you are only a Prince of a dead civilization! Don't' you understand that a King can be reduced to begging on the street, while a common vender can rise up to luxury? The past does not matter to who we are, and that is why you will never be as good as Goku. He doesn't let the past bother him, while you think that just because you were a Prince that you should be better then everyone else! That's not how it works! Why do you insist on living in the past when the Prince rules over nothing?"

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"That's why I fused with you, Kakarot," Vegeta said to the Saiyan next to him, "Your speech echoed of his, and I couldn't believe how much it bothered me."

"Oh, wow!" Goku said, his gaze in infinity as he thought it over, "So that explains it!"

"Explains what?"

"How, in this last year, you've still been mean and arrogant, but it all seemed like an act, like you didn't want to do it anymore, but felt compelled to do it!" Goku smiled, "And now we can all just be friends!" He reached out his arms to hug Vegeta but received a fist in the gut.

"I'll be civil to people now, but that doesn't mean I have to be friends with anyone." Vegeta stepped over the other Saiyan who was clutching his gut.

"So why do you want to find King Kai?" Goku asked as he held a protective hand over his stomach.

"For his ability to motivate," Vegeta said, "plus, he has a great knowledge of techniques and abilities that we cannot fathom. Also, he can materialize items that we might need to train."

"Wow!" Goku said, "You really thought this through! Okay! Let's go!"

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"You want me to what?" King Kai yelled more then asked.

"Come on, King Kai," Goku pleaded with the short man, "It'll only be for a week or so and then you can go back to whatever it is you do up here!"

At this Vegeta snorted and grumbled something that sounded rude.

"I do many important things!" The Kai yelled at the shorted Saiyan, "And as for you Goku, there is no way I'm leaving all of this so I can spend a few years catering to your every whim! I had enough of that when you were on my planet! Which you blew up! I don't think I really owe you any favors! So hit the road!"

"But King Kai-" Goku began, but was cut off by Vegeta walking past him.

"Let me make this simple." The prince said, "You are coming with us, whether you like it or not."

"No, I'm not!" The Kai yelled.

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

Vegeta reached out and grabbed the neck of the Kai's robe and held his other palm open an inch from the others face. "Yes. You are." His voice was just above a whisper.

"O-o-o-okay." The scared man said, "Just let me inform the Grand Kai."

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The three Saiyans and two Nameks stood in front of the entrance to the Lookout. Goku and Gohan were looking around, Piccolo was meditating, Dende looked very nervous, and Vegeta was wearing a hole in the landing by pacing back and forth.

"I wonder where he is?" Goku asked no one in particular as his eyes turned to the sky.

"He's chickened out, that's what!" Vegeta yelled, "We could have been in there a week already! If he doesn't show up in the next five minutes…"

King Kai suddenly appeared on the Lookout beside Piccolo, saving Vegeta from finishing his threat.

"Hey!" Gohan called, "you made it!"

"Oh, is this the type of greeting I was expecting for dropping everything and rushing down to do things you could have done yourself? Nooo. I was expecting a party, and a red carpet! But what do I get? Three Saiyans, a guardian, and a sleeping Namek!" The Kai said.

Piccolo opened his eyes and glared at the blue man, "It's nice to see you haven't changed," he said, and closed his eyes again.

"Alright!" Goku said, clapping his hands together, "Everyone's here. Piccolo, I want you to stay on the Lookout and let us know if Majin Buu shows up. Try to give as much warning as possible, because he won't hesitate to blow the Earth up. And if be sure to keep us posted on what he's doing. Gohan, Vegeta, Dende, King Kai: are you ready?"

They all nodded. "Let's go!"

The five entered the lookout and walked to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, some with eagerness in their step, others nervously. The wooden door mocked the five with its commonplace appearance, but they knew what lay beyond. Dende pulled on the brass handle and led the way in, with the others following. The bright light that poured out of the door soon obliterated any sight of the fighters, and then the door shut, sealing away the light and the only hope of the universe.


	2. Instant Movement and Gohan

The door shut, sealing away Majin Buu, Piccolo and the rest of the universe, and the sound caused Dende to jump and turn to stare at the door. Up until now, he had never realized what he was getting himself into. It had seemed like just another adventure with Gohan, but now the reality was starting to sink in.

He turned to look at the others. Goku was grinning like a little kid, Gohan was just as excited, but there was an underlying nervousness too, Vegeta had his eyes closed, and King Kai still looked ticked.

"Could have chosen any other Kai in the universe, but you had to choose me." The Kai continued to grumble under his breath.

"That's it," Vegeta said with finality, opening his eyes, "I was just keeping Majin Buu's energy reading in mind, and I've got a good comparison of what he's like to us. I want to make sure we come out of here with at least double the strength he had when we came in."

"Double!" Both the Namek and the Kai said.

"Yea," Goku jumped in, "Majin Buu is still absorbing people, so he's getting more powerful by the day. Plus we're going to need extra power because his endurance is so high. I must have blasted him apart a dozen times, and it didn't even phase him."

"Don't worry guy's," Gohan said, placing a hand on King Kais and Dende's shoulders, "this room is awesome. We'll get to that level in no time!"

"Five." Vegeta suddenly said.

"Are you trying to figure out how many fingers are on your hand again?" Goku asked the shorter Saiyan while hiding a smile behind his hand.

Vegeta turned to glare at Goku, then pointed to the beds. Two bunks and a single bed, "There are five beds."

"And there are five of us," Gohan said, "What's the problem?"

"Two are built close to the ground, the level that, say, a child and a short Kai could get into with ease." He turned to Dende, "How did you know who would be coming in here when you sent Popo in to make the extra beds?"

Dende smiled, the sort that a predator might wear, "I'm a guardian! Don't you think I'm smart enough to figure out who you guy's would take in?"

The others looked at the Guardian with a bit of shock, and all of them realized they might want to take the kid seriously after all.

Vegeta grinned and walked past the Namek to the training field. _It hasn't changed, _he thought, _It's still blank, still white, and still as intimidating as hell._

Goku walked up beside him, "This isn't going to be fun," he said with dread lacing his voice.

"We're not here to have fun, Kakarot."

"Sure, I know that. I just wish it didn't have to be this way." He turned his head around, taking in the blankness of the room, "What do you think, a week?"

"Seven years should be enough," the prince said.

"So," Gohan said, walking up to the adults, "Where do we start?"

"Kakarot is going to teach us two things," Vegeta said, "Super Saiyan three and Instantaneous Movement."

"Sure. I'll teach you about the third level, but I think King Kai would have a better chance of teaching the Instantaneous Movement then I would."

"It's easy," King Kai said, walking towards them and shoving Goku out on to the field, "Go out a way's, and we'll see if we can get to you."

The tall Saiyan nodded and leaped into the air, taking off to the horizon.

"Now. You both know about energy," he said, turning to his two students, all thoughts of being dragged into this having been left behind. This was teaching; this was what he did. "Physical energy, the type used in attacks, and life energy, the type used to keep you alive. Gohan, make a blast."

The teen held out his hand and charged up a small blast, letting it sit in his hand.

"Now fire it off but only about ten meters away." King Kai said. Gohan let the blast go and stopped it when it was far enough away. "Good. Now, remember how this feels. You have a piece of your body completely detached from you. Now let it go."

Gohan's blast disappeared. Vegeta, not wanting to be left behind, fired his own blast and let it hang, the got rid of it.

King Kai looked at Vegeta's blast sail away, and then heard a yelp that sounded a lot like Goku. "You could have just made it disappear." The Kai scolded.

"What, and waist good energy?" He smirked.

The Kai sighed, "Instantaneous Movement is a lot like that, but you move your life energy out instead. If you quiet your mind, you will feel little strings attaching everything in the world. The trick is to place your life energy on one of those string, but don't place it too close to the object its connected to."

Dende watched in fascination.

Gohan placed two fingers to his forehead, and Vegeta was about to follow suit, when he realized it wasn't even necessary. Both of the students stood still for a while, and then Vegeta muttered, "Got it." He vanished.

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Goku was bored. It was all well and good that they wanted to learn this technique, but it sure was boring for him to be a target for their energy. Vegeta's blast had been fun to be hit with, but now he was really bored. He yawned and blinked several times. In the middle of one of his blinks, Vegeta appeared half a foot in front of him. Goku opened his eyes.

"Ah!" He fell back, with Vegeta following suit, "You're not supposed to get that close!"

"It's not like I wanted to!" the short man said, and jumped to his feet. "But that's all it took and you never told me how to do it all these years!"

"It's not like I've been alive for most of them!" He sighed, and lowered his voice, "I wonder what's taking Gohan so long? He should have gotten it by now if you've gotten it."

"He hasn't trained since Buu came around the first time. A Saiyan can lose a lot of fighting ability in that amount of time. We might be here for a while. Feel like fighting?"

"Always."

"Good. Super Saiyan three, please."

"What? But if I do that, you won't stand a chance!"

"That's not the point. If I go this whole time facing people who are just as strong as me, I'll never get stronger. I have to get used to fighting superior people."

Goku grinned. He knew how much it must have taken for Vegeta to say that. "Okay."

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Gohan was concentrating on his fathers' energy as much as possible, but he still couldn't keep his thoughts from wandering. _Vegeta goes and does this like it's nothing, and here I am still struggling! He'll never let me live it down!_ He felt his cheek warm and stopped, lowering his hand. He fired off a second blast and held it in the air again. _Feel it out. In order for it to be detached, I have to hold it by one of those strings King Kai told me about. _He mentally probed the string and sent a small portion of his life energy through it.

"You're close," King Kai said, "Don't place your energy on the string. Move it to a point on the string further down. Feel the string between you and your father. Then just place your energy next to him."

Gohan looked at the Kai with envy. This was his first time meeting the man, and he already knew why he was made a Kai.

He turned back to face the direction his father had gone, and felt him out. _There he is; there is the string of energy between us; just move my energy along and- Ah!_

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Vegeta had flared up to an ascended Saiyan long ago and was giving it his all. But he was no match for Goku like this, the other hadn't even broken a sweat, and he was still keeping ahead of Vegeta.

Goku launched himself forward to the retreating Vegeta and threw a punch at the others face. Vegeta was only partially successful at dodging it, and while he was falling he saw his opening. _Left armpit! Right under his attacking arm! _Vegeta fired a blast that was more an annoyance to Goku then a threat, but it was enough to distract the other.

Vegeta finished falling away from the punch and arched his back so he landed on his hands and finally landed a kick in the others chest. Goku staggered back and Vegeta landed on his feet with a snarl, launching himself at the stronger being. _I'll show you who is the better fighter!_ He drew back a fist, and then someone was suddenly between him and his opponent.

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The instant Gohan started to go into the Instantaneous Movement, he wondered why in the hell his dad would ever want to travel this way. At first he felt whole and unchanged. Then he felt like his body had turned into a rubber band that was being stretched between two points, and the two points were further then the rubber band was meant to stretch. Then it all snapped together again in a symphony of pain, disorientation, and excitement.

"Gohan-" His father began.

"Dad!" He cut him off, "I did it! I-"

And then Vegeta smashed into the back of Gohan and they all went down in a heap.

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After the Saiyans had sorted themselves out, they traveled back to King Kai at the landing.

"Good job, Gohan," The Kai said, "and you too, Vegeta. Any questions?"

"Yes," Vegeta said. He was leaning on a pillar with his arms crossed on what the team called "the patio." "Why are we limited to power levels and 'strings' that are only connected to us?"

The Kai let out a bark of laughter, "We've been perfecting this technique for millenniums, and we can't do that. If you think you can, then go ah-"

Vegeta vanished. King Kai looked in disbelief and then out to the training grounds. Vegeta stood in the middle of no were.

"I've been thinking about that too," Gohan said, "we can move our energy to a point between the two of us, but why not to a point somewhere else?" The teen closed his eyes and was suddenly out on the training grounds as well, far away from Vegeta.

"I don't believe it!" Goku stammered, "It took me three months to get that one down, and they go ahead and learn it in three minutes, and then improve it immediately!"

"It's not that hard," Vegeta said coming back to them, "the strings King Kai referred to are everywhere. Some are very slight, but they are there."

"All you have to do is find one," Gohan returned as well and gave his thoughts, "You can even feel them between molecules of air. Since we're all connected, we can move along them!"

Goku frowned and turned his thoughts inward, facing the training grounds. A second later he vanished and came out on the grounds, and then came back.

"That was easy!" he said, "Now that we have that, let's go for a spar!"

The three Saiyans nodded, then all vanished at the same time.

"Seven trillions years." King Kai muttered to himself, "We've been trying to do that for seven trillion years, and they do it in a minute!"

Dende sat on the edge of his bed, wondering what the heck was so surprising. _They're super heroes. They can do anything!_

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Goku lunged at Gohan, who in his mystic form was still the strongest one, even though he hasn't been training. Gohan smiled and brought his full attention to the Super Saiyan three, who smiled back.

"Now Vegeta!" Goku yelled.

"Final Flash!" Gohan turned just in time to catch the blast head on. He could feel the heat burning at his skin, clothes and hair. He quickly held up a hand and fired his own blast into the stream being released from Vegeta, making it break around the teen rather then slam into him more. Vegeta, not wanting to waste more energy, stopped the blast, and Gohan sighed in relief, only to get pounded by his father from the side.

He spun around and landed like a cat on all four and found Goku attacking Vegeta while Gohan was recovering. They both fired a blast at each other that combined into a large ball and went sailing out into the unknown. Gohan jumped to his feet and went after Vegeta, who spun around and hit him with the rapid-fire technique.

_How did he catch me? _Gohan thought, _I'm still stronger then both of them. Yet they don't even seem to take me as a threat!_ He looked up and dodged his fathers' foot by a centimeter. He never even saw the other foot coming.

He had no idea how he got on his back, but he knew he was in a great amount of pain. He opened his eyes and found his father and Vegeta standing over him.

"What happened?"

"I hit you, that's what," Goku said, still a Super Saiyan three, "What's the matter with you, Gohan? Your fighting sense has completely vanished. You may have a greater power then both of us combined, but your fighting like a three year old!" Gohan stared at the ground and felt his cheeks go warm. "You just lunged around aiming anywhere and everywhere you thought might work! You still seem to remember what our attacks are, but you've forgotten we've had a year to change! Vegeta's fighting style is way different from before, and yet you were fighting the old Vegeta! Now. Stand up. You're going to do this again, and this time fight with _us!_ Not how you think we are!"

Gohan stood up and glared at the two before him, wanting nothing more then to show them he really was the best here. He flew at his father then switched at the last second and attacked Vegeta.

"I could see that a mile off!" Vegeta claimed, and rolled to the side to dodge the punch, "Your stance betrayed you. Don't think about what you're going to do, or you'll let everyone know!" The Prince finished his spin and used the momentum to bring the back of his fist to the back of Gohan's head.

He staggered to one knee and then jumped straight into the air. Without warning his father was beside him. "What was this supposed to do? Are you wasting you energy jumping around when you should be fighting? You've forgotten everything you've learned!" Goku brought his knee up into his sons' stomach and then brought his elbow down on the others back.

Gohan hit the ground hard. He could feel his anger at this display of his incompetence rising. It shouldn't matter! He was the strongest! He should be able to take them on with no trouble!

He stood up and yelled, a scream that stripped his throat raw, bringing his power to his full potential. And then he was struck again.

He looked up, seeing his attacker had been Vegeta this time. "I don't suppose it has occurred to you that Buu might not allow you much time to power up. So you'd better learn to keep your eyes on who you're fighting while you do so."

"Gohan." Goku said, "You've forgotten everything that Piccolo and I taught you. Are all those years we spent training you gone to waste? It may seem like Vegeta and I are picking on you, but we know you can do so much better!"

"Don't apologize for him, Kakarot," Vegeta snarled, "I don't know why we brought him in here. If we didn't bring Piccolo in, we should have realized he would be the same. I say we kick him out and train just the two of us. He's just a waste of time."

_I'll show you! _Gohan flew at the Prince ad then vanished just before he came in contact. Vegeta looked surprised for a second then turned around and grabbed Gohan's fist just as it reappeared.

"Not bad," he said, his voice coming out hard as he resisted Gohan's strength, "But let's take this up a notch."

They both vanished. Goku looked up and followed the two by sensing their energy. At first, Vegeta still held the upper hand, but as Goku sensed it out, he was slowly being pushed back by the enraged Gohan. _That's it Gohan, remember what we taught you._

Suddenly, Gohan landed a major hit on Vegeta and the Prince fell to the ground.

"About time," Vegeta muttered as he slowly sat up.

"See Gohan," Goku said, as he walked up to his panting son, "Everything you know is still there, you just have to remember what it's like. Also, you seem to be slow still. Don't think about your movements, we actually move faster then we can think, just let instinct take over."

Gohan, still breathing hard, looked between his father and Vegeta, who was back on his feet, "You did all that just to get me to remember my training?"

"Of course," Vegeta said, powering down, "Both Kakarot and I knew that in this year of peace, you've forgotten all about your fighting. It's not like riding a bike; you have to practice it everyday. Now. If you don't mind I'd like to continue fighting!" He quickly powered up and launched himself at Goku.

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Dende was bored. He wished he had brought a book to read or something, but their hadn't been much time for packing. _Even if I manifested a book, I'd have to write out the whole thing in my mind, so I'd know the ending._ He looked up and saw King Kai taking a nap. _How can he be this relaxed! Buu has got to remember Goku and Vegeta! He's going to come and destroy us all! _Dende sighed and looked up at the ceiling, and noticed the giant clock that showed the time it was outside. _How many times is that clock going to go around before we can leave this place?_

Dende knew that it wouldn't matter; time was almost irrelevant. Buu had escaped a year ago, and hadn't come to Earth, so the chances of him coming in the next few days were slim. _Time is going to be measured by power levels, not by clocks._ _I could be in here for a decade. _

He shivered. The Earth will be okay for the next ten days, but he didn't know if he'd be all right in here for ten years. _This is too much! Ten years! I won't survive!_

"Oh, will you shut up!" King Kai yelled, startling the young Namek.

"But I wasn't-"

"I can hear your thoughts!" The Kai sat up and glared at Dende, "It may seem like a long time, but we'll make it. The only thing we have to fear that will hurt us is something physical! It's a bloody room! It's not going to hurt us. Now, shut up and try to get some sleep. It'll help pass the time!" He rolled over.

Dende, shaken, lay down and tried to sleep.

King Kai waited until he heard the young mans breath was steady and sat up again, and looked at the Namek. _It's not going to be easy kid. But if I hadn't stopped your train of thought where I did, it's a good chance you would have gone crazy. Cabin Fever kills more then anything, and I don't know how you're going to make it if you almost lose it on the first day. I just hope I can keep you from losing it for this time in here. The danger is real. This room is not forgiving, but if we stick together kid, I'm sure we can make it._


	3. Gohan's lessons, and Vegeta's anger

Gohan dodged Vegeta's attack and then whirled around and elbowed his father in the nose. This felt better. He was now using his power with more brains then just all out brawns, and he was winning at the same time. _I can do this, _he thought as he used instantaneous movement to get behind his father, _I can remember how to fight and become stronger than Buu! _He placed his hands on his fathers back and fired a blast that shoved Goku across the field. He smiled. _This will be easy. _

Goku vanished and suddenly there was a blinding pain in his cheek, and he went down.

"Just because I'm hurt doesn't mean I'm down," Goku said above him with a grin.

"Maybe you should learn not to get up when you're facing me," Gohan said as he stood up.

He felt a deep pain in his stomach and saw Vegeta standing in front of him. "This is not the time to be cocky. This is us against him; personal wars and smugness can take no place in this room." Vegeta jumped back and landed beside Goku, "I still cannot forgive your father for a few things, but I'm going to lay most of it aside while we're in here."

"That's right," Goku said, "We'll get a lot further if we help each other rather then work against each other. So knock off the attitude."

Gohan sighed. _Why are they picking on me?_

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Dende sat up in bed and stretched. The nap hadn't been bad, but the thoughts that had almost consumed him before were still in the back of his mind. He glanced at some movement in the corner of his eye and saw King Kai working in the kitchen area. He stood up and slipped on his shoes.

"Good morning, sir," he said, "How are things going?"

King Kai turned to him and waved a finger, "None of this 'sir' business. We're going to be too close in here for any sense of hierarchy. You can simply call me King Kai. Or: hey, you. Just don't call me late for dinner!"

Dende grimaced. King Kai could talk all he wanted about being equal. But it wouldn't be good to make fun of his lame jokes when he'd just demote him once they got out of the chamber.

"Right!" He said with false enthusiasm, "Late for dinner! Good one! What are you making?

"I know it's going to be a little boring for the diet here," he said, turning to the oven, "but they need to eat healthy. Lot's of raw vegetables, tons of carrots, and fired rice."

Dende mulled that one over, then glared at the Kai, "Now you're just making fun of the Saiyans names."

The Kai snickered and waved him off, "Chicken, steak, fruits, vegetables, rice, and lots of milk."

Dende nodded and then looked out at the training field, "Shouldn't there be lots of noise and explosions? Saiyan fights tend to be messy."

"Goku and Vegeta are trying to get Gohan to fight like he used to be able to," the Kai said, lifting a lid and smelling it's contents, "Gohan lost a lot of talent in those seven years after Cell and then in this past year. Sure, he gained some of it back when he fought Buu the first time around, but that's all gone too."

Dende nodded and then looked out just in time to see a huge explosion and a cloud of dust.

"Ah!" King Kai said, "There's your explosion. Ready to put those healing talents to good use?"

Dende looked into the mist a little baffled. He hadn't been on the sight of many battles, kept mainly on the sidelines, and he had forgotten how powerful those blasts could get. He had felt the shock wave from here.

Goku walked through the mist, a Saiyan over each shoulder. Both Vegeta and Gohan were bloody and bruised; Vegeta's arm looked a little too limp, and Goku didn't look much better. "I'm coming, Goku!" He yelled and ran out onto the patio.

"Dende! Don't-"

Dende's left foot crossed the threshold and he collapsed. He could feel his bones starting to break and it felt like his flesh would fall to the floor. _The gravity!_ He thought as he began to pass out. He was hauled boldly into the air and thrown onto the patio, were he lay gasping for air. He rolled over and looked at the sky. _That was really stupid. I've never gone into enhanced gravity before, and I could have been killed!_

Goku stepped into his field of vision, "Lesson learned?" he asked.

"Yes," Dende said and got unsteadily to his feet, "That was really stupid of me."

"Good. Don't try to do that again. Can you heal them?"

Dende, his face still red, walked over to the two unconscious Saiyans and healed Gohan, then Vegeta.

"What happened?" Vegeta asked, rubbing his neck and looking around the patio.

Goku got healed while he answered, "I think you tried that same technique you tried to finish off Fat Buu with, except you just released you energy, and didn't blow up."

"That's right," he said, suddenly remembering, "I've always wanted to try that, but didn't want to mess up the Earth. How'd it go?"

"Not bad. I only got out because I was near the edge. Gohan really took it, and it seems you still hurt yourself."

"Not for lack of trying," Vegeta grumbled, "Let's go back out there. I'm not satisfied."

"But I just finished cooking!" King Kai said indignantly.

"Keep it warm!" Goku yelled back as the Saiyans moved far into the field.

"Brats!" The Kai yelled after them He then turned to Dende, "Hungry?"

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Gohan dodged a blast and then moved out of the way of another. Both his father and Vegeta were firing continuously at him, not giving him any chance to breath. _They both have already increased in power! And this is just on the first day!_

A blast came towards his face and he leaned to the side to dodge, but was still grazed by the blast, and he felt warm blood fall down his temple. Acting on instinct, he raised a barrier and charged his father. Energy bombs continued to smash into his shield, and he realized that he would need to expend more energy to hold the barrier then he would waste dodging and dropped the shield.

A blast blew up at his feet and jumped into the smoke. _Now they can't see me, and they will need a second to sense me out! _He jumped left in the smoke and came out at a point they were not expecting. His father didn't have time to react and was body slammed away.

Vegeta turned and braced for Gohan's attack just in time. For a second the two grappled with each other, then Gohan threw the Prince to the ground. Gohan turned and blocked his fathers' kick, but then felt his feet slide out from under him, and realized Vegeta had attacked from the ground. _Move!_

He vanished in mid fall and came back to being behind his father. He grabbed the back of his gi and jumped into the air with him. He felt rather then saw Vegeta following them, and threw his father at him. Vegeta dodged the Saiyan projectile and fired a wide shot that was too spread out to do much damage. Gohan disappeared again and came back about Vegeta's head.

"Good night!" he yelled out, and kicked Vegeta under the chin. The Prince went down.

Goku, having just landed on all fours, propelled himself up after his son, and began to trade blows. It didn't take long for Gohan to press him back and suddenly Goku was out of the fight. Gohan's breath came heavily, and he picked up his two training partners, wincing at an unnamed pain in his shoulder. _I wonder how many times Dende can heal in a day?_

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Dende sat on a step that led out to the patio, and watched the field with sore eyes. _They've been out there for fifteen hours! When are they going to come back?_

King Kai stepped out as well, muttering to himself and looking past the mist with his god like eyes.

"What do you see?" Dende asked.

"Gohan's winning," he said, and then frowned, "No, Gohan's won."

Dende looked out and a few minutes later, the teenage Saiyan came back dragging the other fighters and limping himself. "Vegeta first," Gohan grunted, dropping his father and the Prince to the patio floor and sitting down, "He took the worst of it."

Dende obediently healed him and backed away quickly. He had never forgotten what Vegeta had done the first time he healed him. The guardian then knelt beside Goku and closed his wounds, and then got Gohan.

"How'd it go?" King Kai asked

"Not bad," Goku said, "But Gohan did a lot better."

"He's learning again," Vegeta said, standing and crossing his arms. He looked at Gohan, then narrowed his eyes and frowned.

"It's all coming back," Gohan said with a grin, "I can't wait to get back to the way I used to be."

"Good," The Kai said, "Now, wash up before dinner."

"Uh, King Kai?" Goku asked, "We're Saiyans. We'll be even more dirty after we eat then before."

"Oh, yea…"

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Goku lie awake in his bunk above Dende, to tired to get up and do something, to excited to sleep. Dende had tired, but he could only heal them, he could not erase the fatigue that only came from not sleeping.

_This is so great! _He thought, _the three musketeers, back together again! _He glanced over at his son on the top bunk next to his own, and grinned again. His son had moved in with Videl soon after the first Buu crisis had been resolved, and Goku hadn't been seeing much of his son since then. _But now we're going to be side by side! Training, living, fighting! Just like old times! _

Goku grinned at the ceiling, where the clock hung five feet above his head. _I wonder how long it will take us? I've done this with Gohan before, so I have a pretty good idea how we'll advance, but I'm not sure about Vegeta._

He rolled onto his side and looked over at Vegeta's bed. The shorter Saiyan had taken the only single bed, sighting the reason that two beds were built short for the Kai and the Namek, and the Sons were tall, so they should take the upper bunks were they could get to them easier. (No one pointed out that they could all fly, so height didn't matter.) _Vegeta's knowledge about how the Saiyans work could be very useful. I just hope old feuds don't pop up._

He leaned back and closed his eyes. _I've got to sleep! Or else Gohan and Vegeta will kick my ass tomorrow!_

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Gohan had made a vain attempt to sleep, but it wasn't much use. The bed was unfamiliar, Videls warmth next to him was sorely missed, and the Time Chamber was all together too quiet. Any noise made was heard by all and echoed in the vastness like a hurricane. It was really hard to sleep when you were concentrating on not making too much noise when you breathed. _I'd better get used to this, _He thought, opening his eyes and looking at the over-head clock, _we could be in here for years. I hope we just settle into a routine so we don't even know what day it is, and the passage of time isn't even noticed._

His thoughts shifted gear. _I wonder which one of us is going to fight Buu? Are we all just going to go after him in a mass attack? Will we take turns? We might be able to use the fusion technique, but we might need more then a half an hour. There's a good chance the task will fall on me again, because I'm the strongest in here, but Dad and Vegeta have so much more experience at this. Plus I may not end up being the strongest when we leave._

He looked at his father, who was laid back with his eyes closed and a small grin on his face. _Look at him. This doesn't even phase him. I guess when you live for the fight and the training; this room is the greatest place on Earth._

He lifted his head and glanced down at Vegeta, who had a slight scowl on his face, even in his sleep. _I wonder how he's going to do in here? I never got much of a chance to talk to Trunks before he went home, but I bet out of all of us, he's going to take this the most seriously. Well, I'll show him. I can do just as well as he can._

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Vegeta kept his eyes closed. He could feel first Goku's, and then Gohan's eyes on him, and knew that if he pretended to sleep, they wouldn't talk to him.

Goku's earlier statement flashed through his mind. _This isn't going to be fun. _He mentally waved away the words. _The first time I was in here, I thought I'd lose my mind. I had Trunks with me, and I knew that I couldn't show weakness in front of my own son, so I gritted my teeth and bore it. It got easier, and then I didn't notice. The second time I had gone in, it was only two day's later, and I knew what to expect, so it wasn't as bad. But this time is different from both of those times. I have to deal with Kakarot._

Vegeta opened his eyes and glared at Goku's bunk. He never really had forgiven him, even though he said he had. A Saiyan is supposed to go out in a blaze of glory. If he is defeated in battle, he will not show up and expect to be a fighter again. He is supposed to die on the field, whether it is by his enemy or by himself. Goku hadn't let that happen. When he first came to Earth, he lost. But instead of taking it, instead of dieing like he was supposed to, he started to run away.

At first he thought Goku would understand, that Goku would try and kill him, but he didn't. He stopped Krillian from destroying him, and that was his first humiliation. _I should have died, but I crawled back to Frieza, and I lived. I tried so hard after that to defeat him, to finally find peace of mind, but he still would not let me surpass him. Now I am stuck in a room with this clown for what could be a decade! Every time I turn around there is an insult to my honor staring me in the face! I will not live in shame! I will become the strongest one to leave here, and I will no longer face Kakarot with the knowledge that he is stronger. I will reclaim my spot as the Prince!_

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King Kai held a pillow over his head, tossing and turning, and then he could take it no longer.

"Will all of you just shut up and try to sleep! You're making enough noise for a friggin circus! Just shut up!"

Three Saiyans and a Namek all stared in amazement at the Kai, and then lay back down, trying their best not to think.

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In the hyperbolic time chamber, there really isn't any day or night, morning or evening. Those times are just set by everyone agreeing to go to sleep at the same time and wake up later. So with no sun or alarm clocks, it was easy to see how someone, say Son Goku, could sleep in.

In the dream world, Goku floated among the clouds and skipped through the air. Cake fell from the heaven, and he opened his mouth to gobble then up. Then, the cake turned to rain, and he began to shake with the cold water. "No," he moaned, "I want cake!"

"To bad. You're getting oatmeal and eggs. Now get up."

Goku woke up to find he was in one of the showers of the time chamber, and Vegeta and King Kai were standing over him, watching the cold water pour down him.

"Now get up," King Kai said, "The food will get cold." He walked off.

Vegeta, who was smirking, turned off the water and stepped aside so Goku could get up.

"You could have just said it was time to eat," Goku mumbled, "I would have gotten up and you wouldn't have had to drag me to the shower."

"What, and miss this golden opportunity?"

Goku entered the main room and found the table laden with a giant pot of oatmeal and a large dish of scrambled eggs. Gohan sat with Dende while they talked about some fight or another, Gohan using a spoon to illustrate his point.

"Morning son," Goku said as he sat down and helped himself to breakfast.

"Morning Drippy."

Goku sighed and shoveled down his food. _At least I know thing's will stay interesting in here._

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Gohan dodged an attack from Vegeta, only to get hit from behind by his father. He spun around and fired a blast of raw energy that moved more by him throwing it rather then it blasting out of his hand. It hit Goku head on and pushed him back to the ground where he bounced and tried to pick himself up.

An energy bomb whizzed by his ear and he turned and yelled at Vegeta, "You aim sucks! Where did you-" The air was filled with bombs as Vegeta fired again, all of these blasts hitting the teenage super hero dead on, forcing him to raise his defense.

"I just shot the first one just so you'd turn around!" Vegeta yelled, and then intensified his attack.

_I've fought beings from around the galaxy, _Gohan thought, _I've fought people far stronger then Vegeta, but somehow, no one can do the rapid-fire technique as well as he can._

Gohan tried to raise a barrier, but a blast caught him in the face and he lost his concentration. _Screw this. _He used the instantaneous movement, and jumped behind Vegeta. Just as he was about to knock the Saiyan out, Vegeta did the same thing and chopped Gohan in the neck, bringing him out of the fight.

Goku walked up beside Vegeta and looked down at his son. "He should have known you would try that."

"I know, Kakarot." Vegeta said, changing back into his normal state, "He still has a long way to go."

"Right, let's go back. I think it's time to call it a day."

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Goku had no idea how long he had been asleep, but he knew it had been to short. Something had woken him, but his sleep-fogged brain was having trouble remembering what it was. He rolled over and saw Gohan and Dende sleeping soundly. Dende had taken it to heart to start training on his own. Not nearly as much as the Saiyans, just an hour each 'day', but he wanted to be able to go out into the training grounds before this was all over. _For someone who has never trained before, that's going to be though. At least he's sleeping better. _Dende was on the verge of collapsing mentally in this room. The workouts were helping him past the time, but Goku knew that spending a few years with King Kai would be though.

Goku looked under his bunk and saw King Kai sleeping soundly as well. Goku knew that even though he might complain all the time, this really was exciting for him. In other world, he had been bored without anyone to train. Now he could finally do what he enjoyed.

Goku rolled over again and saw Vegeta's bed was empty. _So that's why I woke up. _He floated off the bed and pulled on his shoes silently. Placing his fingers to his forehead, he felt for Vegeta and found him very far out.

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The ice was growing around the Prince, but it never was able to get close to him. The flame of an ascended Saiyan flared around him as he continued to push his energy further, trying to reach the level his archrival had called a Super Saiyan 3. He yelled as he tried harder. It was like trying to grip water; he could reach out and touch it, but never could seem to pick it up.

The ice continued to grow, trying to over take the upstart who was continuously breaking it down with his power. Vegeta pressed on last time and the stopped. He just couldn't do it. He powered down and breathed hard. Suddenly he whirled and stabbed a finger at a mountain of ice.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Goku climbed over the ridge he had used as a hiding spot and climbed down to the Prince. "I came here to see if you needed help"

"I don't need your help! I came out here to get away from you! So leave me the hell alone!"

"I don't understand you Vegeta! I thought we had put this all in the past! Why are you still so angry!"

"Why am I angry! I'll tell you why! It is my right to be the strongest, the greatest warrior in the universe! Then you came along and stopped my reign of strength! It was my destiny to become the Saiyan of Legend, but then from nowhere, you showed up. You were the first to defeat me, the first to humiliate me by letting me live rather then finishing me off! I would have rather died then live in the shadow of your pity!"

Goku stood silently through Vegeta's anger. The Prince had sub-consciously brought himself up to an Ascended Saiyan, but that was all right, Goku had as well.

"Not good enough Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled, "I won't fall for that trick twice. Bring yourself to your full power, damn it! You will not shame me twice! We're going to fight, here and now, and I will not stop until I see you dead!"

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King Kai suddenly sat up in bed.

"Shit!" He threw off his covers and scrambled to the patio with Gohan and Dende in his wake.

"What is it?" Gohan asked, "What's going on?"

"It's Vegeta! He's furious, and he just challenged your father! They're going to have a mortal fight in this chamber!"


	4. Goku And Vegeta

They both stood in the midst of the ice at full power. They wore the faces of warriors: intense, enraged, and deadly. The two Saiyans knew that this was going to be the end of the rivalry, for only one would walk away, and neither life would be the same.

Vegeta's fists were clenched at his sides, his fury barely contained as he stared at his nemesis through the aura and energy bolts. He knew he was committing suicide. A Super Saiyan 2 verses a Super Saiyan 3 was not a fair fight, but then again, when were any of the fights ever really fair?

Goku had one hand forward and one hand back. He was conscious of everything around him, from the cold of the chamber to his hair brushing the back of his legs. He had come into this chamber to work; he didn't have time for this age-old argument, so it was time to end it. This whole thing had gone on far enough!

Goku leaped at Vegeta. And the battle of the Time Chamber started.

Vegeta jumped up, but Goku grabbed onto the other Saiyans foot and threw him at a mountain of ice. Vegeta fired a blast past his feet just before he struck, and Goku smacked aside the blast with one hand as he advanced towards his opponent. The top of the mountain blew apart like a volcano, and Vegeta burst through, firing blasts at Goku. The tall Saiyan quickly raised a barrier and stopped the blasts a meter in front of him.

Goku held out a hand and fired, breaking the barrier and ripping apart Vegeta's inert blasts as it sped at the Prince. Vegeta tried to use the instantaneous movement, but was caught by the blast partially. He reappeared expecting to be above Goku, but when he looked down, he couldn't see his rival. Without warning, something smashed him on the head and he plummeted to the indestructible ground below.

Goku aimed between his feet and let loose a wave of raw energy that fell down on the stunned Prince. The explosion rocked the chamber.

"Dad," Gohan said, feeling the blast, "I've got to go help him!"

"No you won't!" King Kai yelled, grabbing the teens' hand.

"Let go of me! I've got to help my dad!" Gohan ripped his hand loose, and took off towards the battle.

"Five hundred tons!" Red weights appeared on Gohan's wrists and feet.

Gohan crashed to the floor of the chamber, feeling bones snap as he skidded on the ground. He managed to turn his head to see King Kai holding up both hands and breathing hard.

"You will let them go!" He said, "They both need this! Even if one dies, they need to see this out to the end!"

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Vegeta stood breathing hard. His aura was so intense that his blood flew up and evaporated, but more flowed out to replace it. Goku stood ten meters off without a scratch on him, his arms crossed and waiting.

_Dammit! I can't beat him like this! _Vegeta used the instantaneous movement to appear right in front of Goku, and before the other could escape, used the final technique he used against Buu that he had been working so hard to perfect. The energy ripped out of him, and he could feel that he was only partially successful. Something exploded on the back of his left leg, and he quickly turned off the attack.

The air itself was on fire from the energy, the smoke filled the chamber, and Vegeta could not see his opponent. _Dammit, I took to much damage. Where is he? _ Something shimmered through the smoke, and Vegeta saw a barrier. Goku stood inside, his arms crossed in front of his face, smoke rising from his gi. He lowered his arms and stared at the Saiyan in front of him. Vegeta began to back away, but it was too late. Goku yelled, and the barrier shattered, throwing fragments of sharp energy flying away from him. Vegeta tried to dodge, but caught a shard across his stomach, ripping the top layer of skin open.

He felt the blood trickle down his abdomen, but ignored it as he turned and fired. Goku fired at the same time and the two blasts met, then merged into one and fell the chamber floor and exploded. The shock wave pushed Vegeta back, and then Goku pounced on him and punched Vegeta hard in the stomach, right where he had been cut moments before. Goku's fist came back red with the princes' blood.

Vegeta fell to the ground and landed hard on all fours. The ice melted, and the flames sprang to life as the weather changed. The floor was burning, and Vegeta felt the fire eat away at him. He felt it, but he didn't know what it meant anymore. His judgment was clouded, rage swelled inside of him. He looked up and could see Goku, the third class warrior that had destroyed his life, was attacking from above. He'd be on Vegeta in just a second. Time slowed. Vegeta didn't even notice, his gaze was only on Goku's face, on the other Saiyans eyes.

_The eyes I first saw in my defeat. The ones that had Frieza wake up in the night and cry out in fear. Those eyes…_

Vegeta was no longer in the time chamber. He stood on the hills in the dessert, with Goku facing him, with the same look in his black eyes. _You were the wretch, the little bastard that came into my life, the only one who could have destroyed it. You defeated me, but what was worse, you gave me mercy and forgave me! All these years, I cannot even forgive myself for the crimes I have committed! _

He saw Goku turn from him and face Frieza. _Even though he had killed all of us with ease, you faced down our killer and not only did you survive, but you defeated him! You avenged our people when it was supposed to be me! I was born to rule, but I couldn't knowing that you were still out there, opposing me, making me insane with your power! How could I rule without it being absolute!_

Frieza faded, and Cell took his place. _And Cell! You fought him at a pace that I could never have matched, and I spent two years in this damned room training for that fight! You surpassed me with only nine months of training, proving that I will never be able to catch you! Not only that, but you gave that same gift to your half-breed son! During the seven years you were dead, I worked with the only thought of beating you, I didn't care about Hell. I would tear the other world apart, if only for the chance of meeting you and finally claiming my spot as the best. But then you came back._

In the vision, Buu appeared. The insane creation of Bibidi stood grinning as it pointed at Vegeta. _I tried to do what you did, I tried to defeat him and prove that you were not the only one who could be a hero, but it didn't work. My son from the future never ceased to talk about how great a hero you were, and then, after the defeat of Majin Buu, I found myself taking a backseat to you in my sons' eyes once more! I will not lose my sons regard, and I will not spend my life dependant on you as you second! I don't care if I die! I WILL KILL YOU KAKAROT!_

Time resumed its normal course, Goku bared down at Vegeta, but then, something happened.

Goku looked down and saw the rage burning in Vegeta's eyes, and he saw the danger. _No! I can't let that happen! If Vegeta- Oof!_

The waves of energy knocked Goku aside as if he were no more then a piece of paper in a tornado. He hit the ground hard and bounced back into the air. _I must stop this! If he continues, nothing will be able to stop him! _Goku flew back and charged an energy blast. The flames suddenly doubled, and the heat beat at his body as a physical force.

Fire jumped up in front of him and was pushed outward as if by a giant fan. Vegeta floated in mid air, the flames danced at his boots and mingled with the flames pressing outward form his body. Goku stopped dead in the air and looked at a Vegeta he had never seen before. He was a Super Saiyan Three.

Goku fell back. Images of his first time as a third level of the Saiyan race flashed through his mind. Grabbing Pikkon and throwing him away for no reason, shooting a blast at King Kai that he had barley dodged. Almost destroying the other world training grounds in his blind rage, but for the effort of a brave few, he would have.

Goku looked at the eyes he had had nightmares about, at Vegeta's cold, killing eyes. _I've got to end this!_ Goku held his hands at his side and charged up the Kamehameha wave, as Vegeta simply held out his hands in front of him. The energy attacks they fired were the last attacks launched that day.

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Gohan was in agony. Sure, the broken bones hurt, but he couldn't see what was happening, and the mental torture was killing him.

King Kai's antennas were sticking straight out as he sensed the fight, and the commotion had roused Dende who had a hand on King Kai's shoulder, more for comfort then to see anything.

Gohan turned his head to where he could sense the fight taking place. Vegeta's energy seemed puny in contrast to his fathers, but he could tell all wasn't well. His fathers' energy felt like it did when he truly wanted to kill someone. _But he can't kill Vegeta! We may need him! _Then Gohan felt a wave of compressed air hit him. He suddenly could sense Vegeta's energy match his fathers!

"That's impossible!" He yelled, turning back to face the Kai, "The only way for that to happen…" He trailed off as King Kai answered him with a nod. Gohan turned from where King Kai stood with an open mouth to the fighting. This was not good.

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King Kai could not believe it. Vegeta had accomplished that form in just a few weeks in the chamber! But what did this mean? Could he really have-

"Oh shit!" King Kai held up his hands, "Barrier!"

The wall of energy surrounded him and the entrance to the chamber, and just a second after he got it up, the energy crashed over them with the force of a tsunami. The Kai staggered to his knees with his hands up, trying to keep the barrier alive long enough to protect the entrance and their only means of escape. The wind battered at him and through his tear streaked eyes he saw Gohan manage to turn a hand in his direction and felt the teens energy reinforce the shield. Dende offered up what he could, and the barrier stood the minute long onslaught of destruction.

The North Kia slumped. One energy was still out there, but the other was fading. He could not tell who was dieing as he slipped into unconsciousness.

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Gohan saw the Kai pass out, and horror struck him. "Take these weights off me so I can save the one who's dieing!"

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A Saiyan smashed into the ground of the Time Chamber, leaving a splash of blood to soak into the floor. The body hit once more before it lay still. The red puddle under it grew.

The other Saiyan landed next to the fallen one and staggered once before managing to stand straight. He looked down at his opponent, who had fallen back to his normal form, as did the standing one. The blood of the standing one flowed out of a dozen gashes in his body, dripping and staining the floor at his feet.

Vegeta grimaced as he glared at the fallen body of Goku. _An easy kill. _He thought.

_Yes, _another voice in his head said, _Kill the one who has mocked you, the one who has taken your pride. _It was Freiza's voice.

_Kill him son, _His fathers voice blended in after Freiza's, _He is not a true Saiyan and does not deserve to live._

Vegeta began to pull of his glove.

_That's right, _Frieza said, _let there be nothing between your hands and his flesh as you snap his neck! Feel the life force under your fingers and you end its pulse forever!_

The standing Saiyan removed his left glove and held it by a finger over his right. A senzu bean fell out. It was the one he used in emergencies, the one used when he had nothing left.

_That's right! _His father's voice echoed in his ears, stamping out all thoughts with its volume, _don't defeat him in this pathetic state; you must be at full power when you kill him._

_Yes, _Frieza said, _it will do no good to give him nothing less then your full power as you grind him to dust!_

Vegeta looked at the bean, images of all the times he had to take one flashed through his mind. Then he kneeled beside Goku.

_Wait, _Frieza said, _what are you…_

_No! Don't… _His fathers voice began.

"Shut up." Vegeta whispered, "I'm through listening to you. Everything you both told me was a lie." He shoved the Senzu Bean into Goku's mouth. "Without this one you call a third class warrior, I never would have come this far. I owe to him everything I have. He does not deserve to die today."

Vegeta began to walk back towards the entrance to the chamber.

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The pain lifted from Goku and he sat up, and spotted Vegeta's back walking away.

"You… You didn't kill me?"

"No."

"But I thought that was your life goal!"

"You never did understand me, Kakarot." Vegeta, beyond his limits, fell to the floor and blacked out.

Goku smiled, then walked up to the unconscious Saiyan and picked him up, placed two fingers to his forehead and vanished.

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Goku appeared and set Vegeta down on the landing, and turned to Dende. "Can you heal him?"

Dende looked up from King Kai and saw the situation. "Are you sure you want me to? I mean, after all of that?"

"Please, I don't know how long he'll last. You'll have to trust me."

Dende quickly healed the Saiyan and backed away as Vegeta stood and faced the man he had almost killed a few seconds ago. Goku smirked, and Vegeta returned it.

"Dende," Goku said, not taking his eyes off of Vegeta, "Please revive King Kai so he can free Gohan, then heal him too."

Dende backed away slowly and then leaned over the Kai. The blue man sat up and then gave Dende a curious look about the Saiyan stand off happening. Dende shrugged and pointed at Gohan. The Kai waved a hand and Gohan suddenly found himself free. He walked over to Dende who healed him and they all turned to the last two living full-blooded Saiyans.

"It's okay," Vegeta said, breaking the staring contest, "I'm not going to try and kill anyone else."

"What happened?" Gohan asked.

"We'll tell you later son," Goku said, sitting down on a step, "But not right now."

"Oh." The teen joined his father on the step and the others all sat down and faced the training grounds, each with their thoughts on the morning's happenings. Gohan finally broke the silence and turned to his father. "So. After all this fighting is done, what are you going to do with your life?"

Goku laughed at the random question and leaned back on his hands, "Well, I've got some money left over from the tournaments still. I was thinking about going into the real estate business. What about you Vegeta?"

Vegeta knew immediately how to trump Goku's answer, "A Professional Restaurant Food Tester."

"Ohhhh," Goku said, "I'm changing my answer! I want to do that! Please?"


End file.
